Heaven Must Be Brown

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I can skip over Nazca, the mysterious pre-Inca lines and a dis-heartening bus ride to Ica, because now I see it all as the path which led me to Huacachina.

Again, I find a lack of words to describe a place which now only exists in my dreams, however Huacachina deserves mentioning, at the least.

A short taxi ride from Ica and you enter the small village, where everybody knows each others business and they all seem grateful for every day that they spend in this marvelous oasis. A beautiful, however artificially made water whole is the center of this town, just as many 'Plaza de Armas´' are the center of most Peruvian city's. The tiny village of restaurants, small 'shack' shops, and hotels hug the Acacia and Palm surrounded oasis while giant dunes sit behind Huacachina as though to protect it.

I have never been close to giant sand dunes before. They tower over you yet seem harmless with their various soft shades of brown, but not just any kind of brown...it is of a kind which seems to glow from within when graced by the bright blue skies of the Peruvian coast. When you look up at the point where the dunes meet the sky, the stark contrast of color sends a sense of resignation through your body, as though nature has undeniably beat the human race in terms of beauty.

Yes you can sand-board, rent paddle boats to putt around the small water whole, or take a fast ride in a snazzy giant four wheeler through the dunes, but these aren't the reasons why some foreigners have moved here permanently. I met a Canadian and a US girl that both have Peruvian husbands and their small children are learning English and Spanish as they grow up in Huacachina. It is a very small town but it is the first place I have met foreigners that have found somewhere else to call home, and start a family.

I met some locals who showed me the hidden secrets of Huacachina, of which I am forever grateful. Each day we swam across the length of the oasis, passing by paddle boats that found it funny a gringa would choose to swim here over the pools that most of the hostels provide, including mine. Many continued to point at me and smile and I later found out that they were asking me if I was 'the' mermaid. Apparently the creation of Huacachina comes from a blond haired woman, who trying to get away from a curious man, dives into this oasis, turns into a mermaid and makes a home here. She lives forever in the oasis as the guardian of the town. (This story is carved into a large stone block which borders the oasis´ edge.)
Late afternoon on the second day I followed a local artisan and his four devoted stray dogs to a spot he called 'his point´. The dunes in the afternoon are a perfect temperature and even though the hike was a bit exhausting my feet thanked me each time they happily sank below soothing sands surface.
As we rose I got a better view of just how vast these dunes are. They stretch from Huancachina all the way to the coast, which is, according to Julio about a five hour drive in a ´sand wheeler´. Summiting 'the point´ helped me understand why he chooses to call the dunes his home, sleeping here each evening under the stars on a pillow of brown clouds. As far as my eyes could see the dunes rolled over each other boasting its vastness. We sat with the dogs patiently awaiting the sunset, something that didn´t seem possible because of all the clouds overhead, (an everyday occurrence at around 3pm, after a long day of intense sun.) However, the setting sky found a break in the clouds just before the sun went behind the dunes and what I witnessed is hard to describe. The dunes to the west seemed as though they were on fire and shot rays of light across the brown spans, beyond where we stood. They then hit the mountains and dunes far off in the eastern sky which shrouded the surrounding tips in purples, pinks and deep blues. I could barely breath as I took it all in, and the dogs in silence, seemed to agree. There is something magical about those beautiful brown dunes.

It was hard to peel myself away from that bit of heaven, but alas, every great journey has an ending and I am now in Lima waiting for my ride to the airport. Although nothing could top my experience at Huacachina, Lima has been surprisingly enjoyable. I've spent the last bits of my time in this colorful country swimming in the ocean, walking around artsy neighborhoods, playing billiards on the worlds most difficult table, and enjoying fresh ceviche with other solo travelers...not too shabby.

Happy winter... at least I hope I feel that way upon my return!

Thanks for joining me on my journey around southern Peru.

Elizabeth Joy

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Photos

Huacachina Sand Boarding
Overlooking the Huacachina Oasis. Dunes surrounding.